Friday 23rd November 2012

Pic Of The Week: Jaguar sports car greats

As easy as C, D, E and F...

---

Jaguar says its new, two-seat F-type marks a return to sports car greatness, and took this shot to illustrate the sheer breadth of that greatness lurking in its past.

It's a tough act to follow. In foreground behind the F sits an E-type in semi-lightweight race spec, the performance pinnacle of the car that changed Jaguar's fortunes almost overnight when it was launched in 1961. This car has a thunderous 348bhp from its 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine and weighs just 1,002kg.

Behind that is the famed D-type, a Le Mans winner in 1955 and the following two years. It was one of the first cars to use a monocoque structure and its slippery shape was the result of extensive wind tunnel work. This 1956 car musters 285bhp from its 3.4-litre engine.

And finally there's the C-type, the same car we had a hair-raising passenger ride in round Goodwood (the setting for this shot) in the wet. This car was once owned (briefly) by Juan Manuel Fangio and puts out 325bhp from its straight six, also 3.4 in size.

 

Traditional (4:3)
Computer widescreen (16:10)
TV widescreen (16:9)
Portrait (smartphone, etc)

 

[Si_man306]

Superb shot...and I still think the F-type looks more and more like a sexier 350z (my current steed) which I love. I just wish I had the monies to buy this! One day..

[JulesB]

I'm not a new jag person in the slightest, but, i've got to admit, the new F type looks spectacular! Can not wait to see one in the flesh!

[VladD]

Lovely stuff. I love the C-Type.

Imagine owning all 4 of those though.

[RacingBlue]

Cracking picture

[Dr Z]

Good POTW! Now my wallpaper...

[EvoDelta]

Excellent.

[405dogvan]

I can't help thinking that's a great way of showing how little like a Jag most modern Jags look...

They don't have to 'do an S Type' with every car but they could TRY to make their cars look less like Mazdas or Nissans.

The XF facelift took a car which was 'a bit Mazda' and made it 'a lot Mazda with some Nissan for good measure"

Replace the F Type with the Eagle Speedster and we have a desktop tho

[LewisR]

Malcolm Sayer, I salute you !!

As for the F-Type, IMO, it's the headlamps that ruin it. Why have them going half way up the bonnet? It lascks an aggressive or purposeful look with those... and also makes the front end look very Nissan-esque. The rear looks far better, with a nod to the E-Type.

Edited by LewisR on Friday 23 November 13:21

[Dave Hedgehog]

oh mummy

[crispyshark]

that is not the best use of photo shop i've ever seen!

Maybe if someone from jag is reading this they could arrange for the shot to become a reality?!

[Mr. Magoo]

3 very good looking cars there.

[soad]

Super.

[Ex Boy Racer]

I simply cannot understand why Jaguar launched the F-type so early. Apparently we cant buy one until the middle of next year, and there still have been no road tests. An object lesson in how to make the initial impact worthless.

When Porsche launched the 991 and the new Boxster they were in the showrooms and available for road tests the next weekend.

[pb63]

There's some greats there for sure...love them.

Now jag lighten the F-type, stick a roof on it and let's go racing!

[IAJO]

the f type looks photo shopped into the picture to me as its so much larger than the other jags.

[julian64]

If you could get the F type out of the shot you might have some decent wallpaper there. Unfortunately as it stands its three cars from the 60's that showed themselves to be world beaters, a gap of fifty years, then a bland eurobox trying a cheap marketing ploy to associate itself with cars of character, and as yet has no claim to anything

[Mr. Magoo]

julian64 said:

If you could get the F type out of the shot you might have some decent wallpaper there. Unfortunately as it stands its three cars from the 60's that showed themselves to be world beaters, a gap of fifty years, then a bland eurobox trying a cheap marketing ploy to associate itself with cars of character, and as yet has no claim to anything

my thoughts precisely.

[tskottowe]

I'm with Julian and Mr Magoo on this 100%. Jaguar have made no decent sports cars in the last 50 years yet they still seem to be trying to sell cars based on that old history.

Having taken the plunge with a saloon as a daily hack a couple of years ago I'll never be going back to a Jag. It was like going back 10 years compared to the german stuff I've run in every respect. Granted the XF was a move in the right direction, but even that is getting a bit long in the tooth now.

[LotusOmega375D]

I can't see that F-Type winning Le Mans any time soon. Don't get me wrong it's as nice a car as I've seen launched in quite some time, but maybe it would have made more sense to line it up with some of Jaguar's iconic sports road cars (SS100, XK120 roadster, E-Type S1 roadster) for a bit more relevance.

[Oddball RS]

Mr. Magoo said:

3 very good looking cars there.

+1